Some Things Are More Fun in the Dark

Recently, a writer for the Seattle Times went mountain biking at night with some friends of Seattlest. Seattlest could not join in the fun, but we were intrigued to see how someone who has never mountain biked at night would report back on the experience. Would he be hooked like we are? Would he curse the day (or night) he got this harebrained idea? Would he survive the night?

Not only did author Mike McQuaide survive, but he had a blast and also captured some of the illicit fun of biking in the dark. Every time we night ride, we feel like kids who've snuck out of the house to go roam the neighborhood with their friends when they should be doing their homework or getting ready for bed. Bobbing and weaving around off-road trails with a light strapped to your head is not something a responsible, mature adult would do. That's why we love it.

Riding at night can turn the most mellow of bike trails into a whole new adventure. The excitement comes from the fact that the trail becomes more unpredictable, and each rock, root or corner is trickier than it would be smack in the middle of the day. While McQuaide jokingly cites concerns of the Bogeyman, black bears, or other lurking critters that might jump out and snack on him, he was in fact riding around a small twisty set of trails sneakily carved into the hills just above Renton. That's right, Renton. Not exactly bear territory, though potentially scary for other reasons.